Today I not only got to go Naturing, but I also get to write about it!

See, I’ve been having trouble with my WordPress account. I reached the max amount of storage space for media. And it wouldn’t let me upload any more images. After some troubleshooting, I found out that I was uploading all my photos in their max size. Taking up TONS of space. Unknowingly.

Tried resizing down, and it looked fine. But resizing two posts worth of images didn’t make a dent. So it took a while to figure out what to do.

Decided on a temporary solution. Which will need more figuring out later. But, YAY! So happy I get to post with photos again. And, yep. I feel quite out of practice. But, ONWARD.

I headed up to Tennessee Valley (which oddly doesn’t have that simple location in Facebookland) to do a bit of the Fox Trail then a bit of the Miwok Trail. It’s been a while since I’ve been on the Fox Trail, and maybe it was a good day for Butterflies there? I’ve never been on the Miwok Trail (and have always been curious), and maybe I could just go up and down? Avoid the ridge up top that connects the two? Because I don’t need that.

But it was SO DANG WINDY and even CHILLY when I arrived to the parking lot. I could see the fog barrelling in, which was clearly going to engulf the Fox Trail. Ah, well.

So I made my way to the Miwok Trail. And it had a surprising (to me) start! You enter a covered creek area that runs alongside the North part of Tennessee Valley Road. Bramble below. Willows above and around. Then the trail splits into the Miwok Trail to the left and the Rhubarb Trail to the right.

Stopped along the way to note the Willow Apple Gall Sawfly galls on the Willow leaves. A Spotted Towhee and a Swainson’s Thrush were calling out of sight. And native flowers started to make their appearances. Pacific False Bindweed and Twinberry Honeysuckle and Coffeeberry berries and newtome California Horkelia and Pink Honeysuckle and Pacific Aster and Orange Bush Monkeyflower.

But it was about at this point that I noticed it was no longer windy. Or chilly. And the sun was out. And the creatures all showed themselves to me!

A Steller’s Jay came into view, which was odd. To see it first and then never hear it. A Skipper (Umber?) stopped for me. Then a rushing sound into the foliage. Not a bird. That wouldn’t be right. Then a Sonoma Chipmunk appeared outofnowhere. And gave me a stare down. Then proceeded to make an alarm call. While another Chipmunk came into view. I snapped some photos of the Cutest Staredown Ever then continued on my way.

A gorgeous green Sweat Bee was fortunately (for me) just doing its business on a Dandelion flower. Seek thinks it’s a Texas Striped Sweat Bee, but that can’t be right, right?

I was making my way up and up. And there were very few birds out. But one small purple and white Lupine (Sky?) and Seaside Buckwheat kept me company.

I turned a corner toward the ridge, and I looked up to see a diving raptor! It was super far away, but that diving shape looked SO LIKE a Peregrine Falcon! A Red-tailed Hawk was also high up in that general area. So I started to doubt what I saw. Would both be flying (and hunting!) so close to each other??

But the one crap photo I got of it shows up as a Peregrine on Seek. Will see with the birders on iNat think of that blur!

Got to a point where some Bluff Lettuce (maybe?) was prettily sitting atop a nice cluster of rocks. And I realized I wasn’t interested in going further. That wind. That chill. The infrequent flowers and birds (or any other animals). Meh. So I headed back down.

And to my delight, I got some amazing birding in. Back in that same Holy Grail spot of no wind and no chill and all sun.

Purple Finches (?) were out. An Allen’s Hummingbird perched high above me. That same Skipper (?) posed again for me. Then outofnowhere TWO HUMMINGBIRDS almost chased each other into me! They both came so close to me that I SHRIEKED. Probably freaked out those two Chipmunks that were surely watching.

After trying to get photos of a bird I couldn’t quite figure out (maybe Western Flycatcher?), a Wilson’s Warbler came into view. And went to town on a huge Ocean Spray bush. And I got to watch and take tons of photos. Wasn’t expecting to see one and see it so much and get some decent photos of it! It was definitely my mascot of the day.

There were all kinds of other birds in that one spot. Most of which I didn’t get photos of, like an Orange-crowned Warbler or Warbling Vireo that was feeding a begging juvenile. So many Chestnut-backed Chickadees. Handful of Hummingbirds. A Northern Flicker calling, then feeding a juvenile! A single California Quail that never stopped the entire time I was on the Miwok Trail. And more I couldn’t see well enough or hear to recognize.

Then a Sparrow appeared. Didn’t have that black dot tie like Song Sparrows have. Seek thinks Lincoln’s Sparrow. And if that’s true, it’s a Life Bird!

On my way back, I heard a Western Flycatcher. And that was a nice confirmation that that’s what I indeed saw earlier. Yay.

Tried out a bit of the Rhubarb Trail. But aside from hearing one hiding Northern Flicker, it was uneventful. So I gave up on it and ended my time out there.

It truly is a treat to get to write about my time outside. I’ve been out Naturing since the WordPress issue started. But I haven’t been able to post about it. Not just because I wanted to also post photos. But because of time. And not wanting to post from my phone. And blahblahblah.

So I’m relishing being able to sit here and jot down what was memorable to me today. I don’t keep track of who reads these. But if it’s you, hope you’re still enjoying this nature journey of mine!